Tribune Opinion: Little mountain plover could mean big problems

A little bird has the potential to create some big problems for farmers.

The mountain plover, a little ground-dwelling bird that is very particular about where it builds its nest, has been nominated for inclusion under the Endangered Species Act.

That in itself is OK; the plover’s habitat and numbers are threatened. It needs to be protected.

What isn’t OK is that previous attempts to list the plover have included an exception for farmers; this time, that exception has been removed.

If the plover is listed without the exception, it will require farmers to get a permit to work their land if they find the bird on their property. And that is a distinct possibility for many farmers in northeastern Colorado, especially those near the Pawnee National Grassland northeast of Greeley.

Farmers near the grassland are well aware of potential nests and have been good about looking for the plover before they plow, mainly because the bird is already protected under the Migratory Bird Act, which protects active nests from being destroyed.

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Even the agency that sued to get the plover considered for the Endangered Species Act has said area farmers have been good at protecting the bird and have even helped its population to recover some.

What the removal of the exception for farmers would do is discourage them from even looking for the bird. If a nest is found, this means the farmer would have to jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops to even be able to run a plow.

They would have to weigh getting their crops in against reporting the finding of a nest. Most would probably choose getting their crops in.

In essence, removing the farmer exemption while including the plover in the act could actually to more harm than good to the bird.

If farmers aren’t the problem, then why not exempt them from the act? If farmers are being good stewards of the wildlife on their lands, then why not let them continue unhindered? If there isn’t a problem with farmers now, then why create one?

We are all for protecting this small, fragile bird. But removing the exemption for farmers won’t bring us any closer to doing that.